Pipe Up! The Organ Podcast Leeds International Organ Festival

David talks to our new Accordion Tutor for the Diocese of Leeds Keyboard Studies Programme, Valerie Barr. An accomplished soloist and chamber musician, not only do we hear her insights into the Accordion scene in the UK and internationally, but we also get a crash course on the accordion's distinctive features, alongside some lovely musical demonstrations.

Berlin-based organist, composer, conductor and educator Pam Hulme joins David for the final episode of the series. Following a career in school teaching, Pam moved to Germany where she is now working in church music and education. We hear how she was introduced to ‘live looping’ by teenage pupils in East London, and how rap and beat-boxing have found their way into organ performance through her Urban Organ projects.

The freelance writer, music critic and journalist, Charlotte Gardner, is today’s guest, speaking about her work which takes her all around the world. Charlotte describes her experience as a Music student at the University of Cambridge, and tells us how a job at the BBC, ultimately on Radio 4’s Today programme, eventually led to her current path as a music journalist. Along the way, Charlotte shares her insights into the rising stars of the classical music world!

Peter Wright joins David today, speaking about his current work as Interim Director of Music at Ripon Cathedral, but also his distinguished tenure as Organist and Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral in London’s South Bank. Peter describes his studies with Flor Peeters and Dame Gillian Weir, and explains what it was like to work at one of London’s most vibrant cathedrals. Along the way, we hear, too, about Mr Bean!

Today’s guest, Ann Elise Smoot, is one of the country’s foremost organ teachers. As Director of Oundle for Organists, and Chair of the Dr Martin Clarke Young Organ Scholars’ Trust, she works with young organists across the country from a wide range of backgrounds. We hear about Ann Elise’s early experiences in the UK, having come over as a recent graduate from the USA, including her work at the renowned St Giles International Organ School with Anne Marsden Thomas.

David is joined by the organist and composer, Huw Morgan, talking about Huw’s compositions for organ and electronics, and his latest album on a 4-stop organ in south Wales. They discuss the Automatronic collective, a group of like-minded composers who write and perform with electronic media, plus ways in which this fascinating compositional world can be explored for promoting the organ in the most unusual and unexpected ways! 



Featured tracks
Encounters, Michael Bonaventure
Sarsen, Huw Morgan
Light Spills Over Banked Roots, Huw Morgan
Phosphorescent, Lauren Redhead